Hip Hop began back in the 1970s as an underground musical movement. It emerged from the Bronx in New York and was used to emcee at block parties and house parties initially. From here scratching with two decks was introduced to create percussion breaks and rapping over the sounds came next and the music started to evolve.
Hip hop has grown and spread across the world over the decades. It is adapted in different countries to fit preferred musical styles but essentially it is the same and has been able to cut across social divides and racial barriers like some other genres are unable to. It has been referred to as a global musical epidemic although it is unclear if that was a compliment. As the decades have passed it has gone through some different phases; the 80’s saw Salt n’ Pepa take to the stage and then gangsta rap arrived with it’s gun and drug references and misogyny. The 00’s and on have seen a more commercial side to hip hop which has not necessarily pleased the old guard. But like all musical genres it will continue to change and evolve as new techniques and instruments are used by newer artists.
Instruments in Hip Hop
Unlike a traditional band a hip hop group might not really include any of the standard instruments. In fact some of the things a hip hop artist might use aren’t technically instruments at all. This is because it initially came from emceeing (MC) at events and parties, then turntables and scratching added along with rapping and then samples came. By using turntables with prerecorded music no one had to buy expensive instruments or spend time learning them.
These are some of the things that a hip hop group would use; a turntable for scratching and other effects, sampler for producing loops, drum machine allows pre-programming and dispenses the need for a drummer, stringed instruments are becoming more popular although perhaps it is just a trend but they allow some creativity, keyboard is another instrument used to produce music that can’t be created as well through decks and samples and lastly the computer. No a computer is not an instrument but it is used to mix and engineer samples and beats.
What Is A Cajon?
A cajon is a percussion instrument that originally came from Peru. It is boxed shaped and can be sat on to play. Once you have learnt the basics it can be quite simple to play as long as you have some degree of rhythm. They are portable, light and relatively inexpensive meaning that they are a great entry level instrument.
Would a cajon fit into hip hop?
In the 1970’s a famous Flamenco guitarist went to Peru and brought back the cajon to his band. The popularity of the cajon spread through Flamenco rapidly and soon became the base sound associated with that style of music. This paved the way for the drum box.
In the early ’90s the Cuban Cajon was embraced by The Roots, Arrested Development, and Outkast on MTV. The Cuban Cajon is hard to play compared to the drum box or snare Cajon. Cajons make excellent percussion instruments for hip hop.
How would you incorporate this into hip hop?
Drum machines were popular in the past in hip hop because of their versatility and not having to worry about having a drum kit and drummer on stage (or in the recording studio). A cajon could cover this area very well. A cajon covers all the essential parts you would find on a regular drum kit. They offer flexibility and can produce a wide variety of sounds from that deep bass sound you hear on hip hop to a snare. A good cajon player can produce sonic gymnastics when playing a cajon and some cajons have snare drums fitted inside them.
Cajons are already used in open air bands. It wouldn’t be unusual to see a cajon in a freestyle battle or rap off on the street. They have all the sounds needed to supply the standard trap beat that is used in hip hop or rap. The lower end sounds produced from a cajon match the boom supplied by a regular bass drum on a standard drum kit.
So all in all they have the ability to be used as a replacement for a conventional drum kit but are smaller and lighter. They are cheaper than a drum machine and don’t require any programming and they can carry the perfect trap beat for hip hop.
Recording Cajons For Hip Hop
Recording a Cajon in the studio would show some imperfections if not played extremely well. If you were recording tracks using a Cajon you need the instrument to play very well and by a very competent musician and the Cajon needs to have the microphones set up properly to capture the sounds. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t use one, it is just something to consider. The quality of your Cajon will differ depending on the cost and style and there are some top choices of cajons out there on the market to choose from.
Summary
So the Cajon is an impressive little instrument with a lot of power and features an impressive array of sounds. It can be used in all sorts of styles and has many advantages such as portability, inexpensive, easy entry-level instrument and fits in with an impressive array of genres. Although it has traditionally been used in Afro-Peruvian music it can be used across a wide range of styles including hip hop as you have discovered. The main disadvantage is in the recording where the microphones need to be angled and set up properly and the Cajon sounds edited to tighten the bass and reduce the boom where necessary. As the popularity of both hip hop and Cajons grow it will be interesting to see how many rising hip hop artists decide to incorporate this instrument into their music.
